


Fight for You

by prismatism



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Future Vision, Gem Fusion, Light Angst, Pre-Canon, Sapphire learns to fight, Set during the early years of the Gem Wars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-14 13:48:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10537764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prismatism/pseuds/prismatism
Summary: To strengthen their relationship (and their fusion), Ruby teaches Sapphire how to fight.





	

**Author's Note:**

> You might also enjoy my other Ruby/Sapphire fic, [Things Fall Apart](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7919086), which comes first chronologically but doesn't need to be read to enjoy this story.

Garnet swung her right fist towards Crazy Lace, the gauntlet landing a solid blow against the other gem’s side. She tried to dodge the incoming whip, but didn’t move her shoulder out from underneath it quickly enough. Rather than stagger back, she leaned into the blow, grabbing the end of the whip with her gauntlet-less left hand and tugging it to pull her opponent off balance. She took the opportunity to swing another few punches before Crazy Lace pulled away.

“Alright, go Garnet!”  
“Don’t give up yet, Crazy Lace!”  
“You’ve got this!”  
Shouts of encouragement came from the crowd of Crystal Gems surrounding the sparring pair. But as they continued circling, Garnet couldn’t help from noticing the whispered comments underneath the yells.  
“Of course she’s winning, it’s two on one.”  
“You think a ruby or a sapphire could beat an agate on her own?”  
“Well, isn’t the whole point of fusion to fight enemies who are stronger than you?”

Garnet tried to keep her focus on the fight, but the words had already done their damage. She could recognize the signs by now – a tingling up and down her back, flashes of icy cold followed by intense heat. The individual faces of the surrounding gems blurred into a faceless mass, and surely in a few seconds the tunnel vision would start. She turned her back to Crazy Lace and walked away from the sparring field, completely ignoring the murmured confusion trailing behind her. Her path brought her straight to an alcove in the thorny hedge that surrounded the Crystal Gem’s base camp. After stepping through the curtain of flowers covering the opening, Garnet let herself dissolve.

By the time Sapphire came to her senses, Ruby had already rushed to her side and was holding out her hand. Sapphire accepted it and lightly hovered herself upright.

“A-are you okay?” Ruby released Sapphire’s hand, letting their fingers drift apart slowly.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Sapphire replied, dusting off the edge of her dress. “It’s just–” She paused for a moment, wondering how much she needed to explain. Had Ruby been able to feel it too, when they were fused?

“Ughh! I’m gonna punch Crazy Lace in the face,” Ruby said, stamping a foot against the dirt floor. “Her and all those other gems, what do they even know–”

“No, I want to be the one to punch Crazy Lace.” Sapphire’s words shocked even herself, so she wasn’t surprised to see Ruby’s look of confusion.

“What? Huh? Why?”

“Didn’t you hear what they were saying?” Sapphire asked. “Without you, well… there’s no way I could fight Crazy Lace on my own.”

“I can fight. And I don’t mind fighting for the both of us,” insisted Ruby. “I was made to protect you!”

“I know that you can fight, and I know that you want to protect me,” Sapphire said, struggling for once to find the right words to convey her meaning. “But with the Crystal Gems, we don’t have to play the roles that someone else made for us. We can protect each other.”

“I guess so. But why do you want to punch Crazy Lace?” Ruby asked.

Sapphire knew that punching Crazy Lace wasn’t her true goal, although it did seem to be a likely outcome of the path they were about to take. Then again, she had seen for herself how even nearly certain events could be altered. “Ever since we’ve joined the Crystal Gems, the future that I can see ahead of us keeps changing. I don’t know whether I can trust it enough to keep us safe. I… I want you to teach me how to fight.”

“Really?” Ruby’s eyes widened. She’d learned to fight, of course, but never taught another gem before. But she’d been doing a lot of things she’d never done before since coming to Earth, and if she could teach anything, she could teach fighting. “Yeah, I think I could do that.”

“Really,” Sapphire assured her, reaching out to take Ruby’s hand once more. “And… thank you, Ruby.”

“This is gonna be great!” Ruby picked up Sapphire up by the waist and spun in a circle. “You’re gonna be the best Sapphire warrior the universe has ever seen!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This is a story I've had in my head for a few months and I'm glad to finally write it down. I'm still working on the remaining chapters, but they should be coming out soon.


End file.
